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L.v R. .B-LAKE. MANUPAGTURE. (1E Boo'Ts AND SHOES.

No. 90,225. Patented May 18, 1869.

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not tatrs LYMAN R. BLAKE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 90,225, dated May 18, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN lt-BL-Aiin, of Bostox in the county of Sufi'olk, and State of llrlassachusett-i have. invented an Improvement in the Manuthcture 0' Boots and Shoes; and-I do hereby declare that th following, taken. in connection with the drawings whic-l accompany and form part ofthis specification, is a description of my invention, suflicient to enable tliosg skilled in the art to practise'it;

United States Letters Patent, No. 4,388, \VCl'l granted to me on the 27th of September, 1864, on. in improvement in the manufiicture of machine-sewer; boots and shoes, which improvement consisted in a boot or shoe having the upper and vamp united by stitches which passed through the vamp and outer sole, and around the edge of, but not'throngh an inner sole, which narrow inner sole was used for the temporary purpose of lasting, though it' might'also serve the ulterior purpose of an inner, or sock-sole.

My present invention also relates to the employment of a narrow inner sole, for the purpose of lasting boots or shoes, with particularreference to uniting the vamp and sole upon a McKay sewing-machine, the invention relating to the construction of the inner sole with reference to its use as a support to which to temporarily attach the outer sole, and as a pattern to preserve the form of the shoe after its removal from the last, and during the sewing-operation.

The invention consists, primarily, in the employment of a narrow metal insole, so braced that it is practically inflexible, or possesses such rigidity that it will not yield or bend under the strain of the shoe, the operation of the sewingnnechanism, or the manipulations of the operator; I p

The invention also consists'in the employment of a rib-plate, or narrow metal stripon the inner side of the inner sole, which strip sets in a groove in the soleface of the last, and prevents lateral displacement of the narrow insole; also, in the employment of a steadypin, or steady-pins, projecting .from the sole, or from the last, and entering a corresponding. hole, or holes, made in the last, or through the lasting-sole, such pin, or pins, retaining the sole in position in. the direct-ion of the length of the last.

The invention further cons... 1n combining with the last and the lasting, or narrow metal sole, held in place upon the last by suitable guides, metal anvil-blocks, or "plates, which correspond in position to holes made through the lasting-sole, or pattern, sothpt when the out-er. sole is laid upon the metal sole, and tacks or nails are driven through corresponding holes punched through the outer sole, and through the holes in the lasting-sole, their points will strike the anvil or metal plate, and be turned thereby, so as to clinch against the inner face of the lasting-sole, thereby securing the outer sole to the lasting-sole, (andto the upper, lasted thereon) so-tllat the last being removed, tin.- vamp, mn' sole, and lasting-sole'will be secured together,

sole lb.

and in proper relative position for the union of the vamp and outer sole, by a series of stitches running around and beyond the edge ofthe metal, or lastingsole.

The drawings and the description thereotwill serve nore clearly to illustrate and define my improvements.

A shows a view of the inner side of the metal, or lastingsole- B is a view or we sole-face of the last.

G is a vertical and central section of the last.

D shows, in plan, the metal sole upon the last.

E is a similar viewfbut with the upper drawn over and lasted to the last.

F.is a section on the line a z, the outersole being tacked in place.

G is'a plan of the shoe as it appears after the sewin g has been elfected and the metal sole has been withdrawn.

a denotes the last;

11, the narrow metal sole;

0, the vamp; and

(l, the outersole.

The lasting-sole b is preferably made of plate or sheet-metal, bent to aform corresponding to the'curved sole-faceof the last, the nature and thickness of the metal being sufiicient to maintain this form, excepting under severe strain.

The better to preserve its form, however, I rivet to the under surface of the metal sole a narrow central curved strip or rib of steel, e, .this rib entering a groove, f, ,in the solesface, of the last, the rib and groove serving to maintain the sole in position (laterally) upon the last.

4 Projecting train the last is a guide or steady-pimp, (one or more of which may be employed,) and this pin passes through a hole, It, in the metal sole, this pin keeping the sole b from endwise displacement.

When positioned upon the last, the edgeof the sole 1) falls short of the edge of the last, as shown at D.

The last having been inserted in an upper, the edges of the upper c are drawn over the edges of the sole-face of the last, and the sole 1) and the opposite edges of the vamp are stitched together, or connected by a lacing-thread, t, as seen at E, the thread simply running across and through the edges of the vamp,- but having no, connection with the last or with the This having been eiiected, the outer sole d is laid upon the last, and is preferably secured to the sole 1) as follows: i

The lasting-sole b has a series of holes, is, punched or bored through it, such holes extending through the rib c i In the sole-race of the last, 'at the DUbLulII of the groove f, are sunk metal plates, or blocks 1, in the top surface of each of which is a recess, m, each recess corresponding in position with one of the holes, 7:, through the lasting-sole b.

Through the outeifisole d corresponding holes n are punched or pierced, and when the sole d is laid upon the last, these holes at being brought over the holes in, a nail or tack, o, is driven through each hole n,

and the point of this tack passing through the hole k, is turned over by the metal surface of the plate or anvil l, and clinches against the inner surface of the rib e, the head of the nail being left projecting, as:

by its edges being enclosed between the edges of the inner and outer soles, so that the last being now removed, the parts of the shoe are in position .for the stitching-operation, in which operation the row of stitches passes outside of the edge. of the sole b, and equidistant, or about equidistant, therefronu The stitching having been completed, the tacks o I are drawn out, thus releasing the sole b, which having now no attachment to the outer sole, or to the, vamp,

is readily drawn from the shoe, 'leaving the latter in the perfect form imparted to it by the last, which" form is preserved by the metal inner sole 1). until the stitching of the sole is completed.

, Instead of fastening the outer sole temporarily in place by the tacks or nails 0, other means may be used for effecting the temporary union, such, for instance, as sharp spurs projecting up from the metal sole; but the tacks are, in my opinion, the best fast enings, as they afford a secure temporary connection, while they can easily be withdrawn after the sewing iseffected.

' Although I have spoken throughout this specification of stitches, it will beobvious that shoes may be similarly lasted and prepared for union of their vamps and outer soles upon the nailing-machine patented by myself and A. S. Libby, No. 76,150,- March 31, 1868, nails being the equivalent of the stitches herein described.

I claim, in combination with,a narrow lasting-sole, the rib e, acting as a guide to keep the lasting-sole from-lateral displacement, and as a brace to retain said sole in form, substantially as described.

Also, in combination with means for preventing lateral displacement of the lasting sole, a steady-pin or pins, g, for fixing the sole in position-in the direc- ;rnanent or stitched inner sole, said process consisting in first lasting the edges of the upper over a narrow and rigid'la'sting-sole, "(which sole fits upon the face.

of the last, and is so held in place thereon that the Ias't-canbe slipped out from the shoe and off from the lasting-sole, the lasting-stitches passing across the last, and through, and only through the edges of "the upper,) then temporarily fastening the outer sole accurately in position, and then withdrawing the last and uniting the outer sole and'vam'p by a series of stitches, or other fasteniugs, passing through the sole and vamp, outside of the edge of the lasting-sole, said latter sole being left'free to be withdrawn from the shoe by drawing out the lasting-tacks LYMAN R. BLAKE.

Witnesses J I B. CROSBY, Fmors GOULD. 

